Race #1 (Voice) | During the flooding

[sugarcar]

[There's sound coming through, but it's breathing sounds. Very, very relieved-sounding breathing sounds. And then, a few seconds later, a child's voice pipes up.]

Gotta question. Other than th' obvious "What is this place?", why is it floodin' in this place?

[She'd appeared right in the hallway, underwater, and in a panic managed to find herself in an empty bedroom.]

An' where is everyone? What kinda game is this?

[It may not seem obvious at first, but she doesn't even realize she's got the device on, in her panic. She's merely talking to herself.]

Comments

[video]

[punful]

you, uh, okay there, kid?

[voice]

[sugarcar]

[Where in the world...? She looks around for the source of the voice, before getting up and hearing the sound of something clattering to the ground.]

Huh?

[She looks down at the device, and picks it up, noticing the video being shown to her. She stares for a few seconds.]

Uhhhh... that kinda depends. Is it normal for floodin' to happen in this game?

[voice]

[punful]

[Game, huh. Whatever, setting that aside.]

nah, the flooding's pretty new. just part of the event. it'll be over in a day or two.

just showed up here, huh?

[voice->video]

[sugarcar]

[Fiddling with the device a little, she manages to get her side's video to show.]

Event? This kinda stuff happens a lot then, huh?

Jus' now, yeah. Jus' a lil' while ago. Dunno how I got here - last I checked I was in my game. Not underwater. Guess this lil' room here is safe, though.

[It's rather empty, but cozy. Not as extravagant as the castle, but she didn't care about the size or the look.]

Sooo... where is here, exactly?

[Voice]

[charlastan]

[Oh good. Newbies. That's what this event needed. And is that a little kid?? For cripes' sake!]

Your guess is as good as anyone else's. It not like we went "Y'know what would be great today? Flash floods, across the entire mansion! That's not gonna be dangerous and inconvenient for anyone!"

[He's getting kind of bored, so he might as well be a terrible, sarcastic welcome wagon.]

[Voice]

[sugarcar]

[The reply comes after a fair pause - she was still catching her breath after that dynamic entrance. When it does, however, the sarcasm comes back in full force.]

Are ya sure? I mean, I'm sure some'a ya might fancy a quick forced lesson in swimmin' fer air.

[As snarky as the reply was, it's a quick way to make her feel a bit more comfortable.]

Sounds like a lotta fun, right?

[Voice]

[charlastan]

Oh yeah, that sounds real fun. A barrel of monkeys right there. Who doesn't love having to swim for their lives?

[He sighs though, and though she can't see it, he rolls his eyes.]

Me. I don't. This stupid event better end soon. We've prolly got at least another two or three days or this crud before the water clears out.

[He assumes, anyway. Why would there be be anything else to the event after that?]

[doorkey]

It's not really a game. It's what the Cheshire Cat meant when he said he didn't have a taste for water, I guess?

Weird events happen like this all the time- different things, but always strange, and usually they have to do with someone who's stuck living here.

So whose house got flooded, I wonder?

[Voice]

[sugarcar]

[She listens, but all of it just confuses her more.]

No, no, I mean what game is this? I didn't mean it like someone playin' a prank. I dunno who the Cheshire Cat even is. Did he cause it, then?

All I know is I found myself in a flooded hallway, and then I made m'way here. In an empty bedroom.

[Voice]

[doorkey]

Uh... 'The Hallway is Water', I... guess? [ She shrugs, nose wrinkled ] I don't think so. Wonderland causes it, taking stuff right out of people's experiences?

It's... weird. You're new here? Sorry the mansion's such a big mess right now. I'm Coraline.

If the bedroom's actually empty it's yours now, I guess? But somebody said something a little while ago about how there's only so much air in every room and we'll all if we don't swim around eventually, so-

So I'm trying to work up my bravery. And find a bag that's waterproof. The closet isn't being too helpful.

video

[determinedest]

[The shuffling of a camera being adjusted, and then another child's face pops into view. Their hair is plastered into their forehead and neck and cheeks, thoroughly drenched, but they seem utterly nonplussed.]

What do you mean, what kind of game?

[Video]

[sugarcar]

[Musta dealt with the water too, she figures. But more importantly...]

I mean what I said. What's th'name of this game? Escapin' a flooded hallway's fun'n all, but I'd kinda like t'get back t'my game.

[Video]

[determinedest]

You're not in a game.

[...can't be. There's nothing like a sprite or a line of code, not for as far as the eye can see. They've seen it, now. They know what a GAME looks like. It's not...this. Is it?

18985: \E7Don't you get it?/
18986: \E0This is all just&a GAME./
18987: \E3If you leave the&underground satisfied^1,&you'll "win" the&game./
18988: \E4If you "win^1," you&won't want to "play"&with me anymore./
18989: \E0And what would I&do then?/

...not in a game at all.

They push on, uninterrupted, blank-faced and even-toned as they say, matter-of-fact, as though this will resolve everything:]

You're in Wonderland.

[video]

[fulllifeconsequences]

[Boy, hope that convo with Frisk went well, because here's a Frisk recolor!

Chara opens their mouth.

Chara closes their mouth.

Chara wrinkles their brow.]

You know, I was going to argue, but... I can't actually be at all certain this isn't a game. Can I? So... the game is called Wonderland, and apparently, this level is survival-horror oriented. It should only last a week or so, then it goes back to... I don't know, some kind of life sim?

[video]

[sugarcar]

[A Frisk recolor? Must be a sibling or something, she's wagering, at first glance.]

Survival-horror? So... somethin' like those Resident Evil games or whatever they're called. A life sim sounds borin', though.

[At this point, she's been told it's the real world multiple times, but hey, if it's a plane of existence outside of both the arcade and the real world, who says it isn't something like a game, even if it's not the traditional sense?]

But I guess a game that can be a lotta different types might be kinda fun. [Even if, apparently, there's no real 'exit.']

[video]

[fulllifeconsequences]

Less undead, more water and savescumming. Guns optional.

[She'll understand "savescumming," won't she? Don't have to explain the concept of SAVE, LOAD, or Reset if she's already talking like she's playing a game. It's almost a relief to just talk about it without quotation marks or tutorials or uneasy worries about how you're supposed to tell if you're a real person or not.]

You won't be bored, that much is certain. These events strike like clockwork, and they're different every time. Memory-based, apparently, and each person living here has very different memories to work with.

[Video~!]

[mettatonvevo]

[WHAT A TIME TO COME TO WONDERLAND Mettaton thinks as he continues to charge in some room or another. He's seen more of the Mansion through swimming through the halls than he ever thought he would.]

This is Wonderland, first off, second, this isn't a game! This is an entirely different world with different rules.

[Something in his head gently nudges him at her words. Something... bigger. He shakes it off for now. What's important is to answer this person's questions.]

[Video~!]

[sugarcar]

Yeeeeah, I've been told. [She's more than thankful for the information, even if knowing this makes her super uneasy.]

Dunno how fittin' Wonderland is... unless the 'wonder' part explains how a bunch'a hallways can get flooded but th' rooms seem just fine.

[Why is she questioning logic in an unfamiliar place, anyway?]

[Video~!]

[mettatonvevo]

[Mettaton laughs a little.]

Well, Wonderland is powered by magic, so it tends to make its own rules when it comes to things like this. As for why it flooded in the first place, this is an event. This world likes to throw these sorts of things at us every now and then. Why? I can't really say.

video

[battlefront]

[Not even going to bother with text this time. Doesn't have the mental energy to type all that much. So he's made it to one of the other rooms, sitting on top of a dresser with a fat, caramel colored bunny next to him and looking very very soaked and haggard.]

You're a kid.

[Good... good observation, Cloud.]

Not a game. Happenin'. Stay safe.

video

[sugarcar]

[It takes her a second to respond, because she's fighting herself not to laugh at his astute observation. Mostly because she wasn't sure whether this guy was actually doing okay or not.]

Yeah, I'm a kid. There're plenty of 'em here, right? [She's met quite a few.]

An' I've been told. Are you okay, though? Ya don't sound like it.

video

[battlefront]

I've... seen some, yeah.

[There was one he'd talked to before this all started. Something about being used for 'tests'. He can't remember clearly at the moment, but he felt sorry for her.

People don't need to feel sorry for him, though.]

Don't drown.

[Don't.]

video

[stefanged]

[Stefan doesn't normally pay the communicator much mind, but when he hears a kid pipe up, he can't help pulling up the video feed. This place's stolen enough people without adding someone her age to the mix.]

If it's a game, it's a pretty bad one.

[Even Mario Kart was way more fun than this.]

Are you okay right now? Even if you're in one of the rooms, you'll still have to move between them every few hours.

video

[sugarcar]

Yeah, s'real crappy, that's for sure.

[She could think of so many better games than 'Wonderland'.]

M'fine. I can get around. There's lotsa empty rooms, right? [She can teleport, at least. So long as she doesn't teleport into someone else's room and scare the living daylights out of them.]

video

[stefanged]

Of course. As long as you keep moving every six to eight hours, you'll be fine.

[His expression softens significantly.]

The mansion isn't normally this... uh, flooded. I'm sorry you have to deal with this on what, your first day?